Predstavitev

D-US: Delegation for relations with the United States

Delegations of the European Parliament and the United States Congress have been meeting to discuss matters of common interest on a regular basis for the last 45 years.

Currently the two delegations meet twice a year, in Europe and the US. When these meetings are held in the European Union, they usually take place in the capital of the country holding the EU presidency.

When not meeting jointly with the US Congress, the Parliament's US delegation meets in Brussels and Strasbourg, hosting US politicians, ambassadors, academics and other experts.

In 1999, the relationship between the two parliaments was deepened further with the launch of the Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue (TLD).

The TLD was founded on the principle that EU-US relations go far beyond foreign policy or trade issues, and involve multiple policy fields. Whether economic and financial policies, energy and climate change or issues of date protection and civil liberties, much legislation has an effect across the Atlantic, either intentional or unintentional.

In practical terms, the TLD includes the bi-annual meetings of the European Parliament and the US Congress delegations and videoconferences, organised on specific topics of mutual concern, with a view to fostering an ongoing uninterrupted dialogue.

In a broader sense, the TLD also involves the work of parliamentary committees and their direct contacts across the Atlantic. As legislation is mostly prepared at committee level, it is important that the dialogue starts there. The European Parliament has established a Steering Committee to co-ordinate TLD activities, in which these parliamentary committees are represented.